Super Food Spotlight: Sacha Inchi

This is just ONE of the 70 Super Foods that is found Shakeology!!! Including one scoop of this nutrient rich powder will provide the greatest balanced and well rounded nutritious overload for your body. The results and benefits that your body will experience both inside and out with shock you! Over the course of 6months-1Year we will review each and everyone of the 70 ingredients found in this protein, nutrient dense product ! I have officially fallen in love with it and I know after trying it you will to! 

History:
The Sacha Inchi is a plant that grows in the highlands of Peru. It produces a seed that tastes like a nut when roasted. Like many healthy nuts, it’s a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as omega-6s and omega-9s. It also contains vitamin A and E. Can you say healthy snack?

The cold-pressed oil is said to contain about 45 percent omega-3 fatty acid, 36 percent omega 6, and 9 percent omega 9, with 27 percent protein. Because of these facts experts are calling this nut a good alternative that is a healthier version of a fish oil supplement!

Health Benefits:

If you know omega-3s, you can guess at the health benefits of these tasty nuts and oil. Foodies are especially excited about them because the nutrients are apparently easier to digest than those from other sources, so your body can easily take advantage of the healthy properties. Fans say that the oil does not cause gas or irritation, yet it contains more protein than olive oil, and far more omega-3 fatty acids (in the form of linolenic acid) than olive, soy, sunflower, or flax oils.

Because of the omega-3 content, Sacha Inchi nuts and oil are likely to positively benefit cardiovascular health. Specifically, they may lower cholesterol levels, boost brain function, ease joint stiffness, help maintain healthy glucose levels, support healthy skin and hair, relieve inflammation througout the body, and support the eyes and optimal vision. Scientific studies specifically on Sacha Inchi are minimal at this point, but considering its composition, these are the likely advantages to be gained by incorporating more of this superfood into the diet.

Vegans and raw foodists are especially excited about this food as it provides a plant-based way to get a good supply of omega-3 fatty acids. In addition, the oil is extracted by simple cold pressing, so no refining process is necessary. Because of the antioxidants vitamin E and A, it may also help battle the free radical damage that can lead to premature aging. The nuts are high in protein and amino acids—another plus for vegans. They contain nothing toxic or damaging to good health, so you can eat as many as you like!

Paleo Crepes

I actually just experienced my first crepe within the last year and have loved them ever since! When I started eating Paleo I totally forgot about this meal because I just thought they wouldn't be good as a "healthy version" of themselves. But I was sooo pleasantly surprised to try them again with all the right substitutions! I hope you give these a try and fall in love with them as much as I did.

Ingredients: 
4 Eggs
3 tblsp Coconut or Almond Milk
2 tblsp Almond or Oat Flour
1 tblsp Oil
2 Stevia Pack

Instructions: 
1. Mix all ingredients in  a small mixing bowl.
2. Heat a small shallow skillet , and spray with non stick cooking spray.
3. Laddle in about 1/4 -1/ 3 cup of the crepe mix.
4. Swirl around the pan once until all batter is distributed  evenly, flip to cook till lightly golden on each side.

My favorite way to eat these is with fresh fruit inside with a little drizzle of honey or organic maple syrup! Enjoy xoxoxo

                    s

Paleo Mang Banana Bread

These are AMAZING!!!! This bread contains all my favorite fruits in one delicious marriage. I didn't not make the mini loafs but rather just a normal size loaf pan and it worked out great!

MANGO-BANANA TROPICAL MINI LOAFS

Ingredients, 5 mini loafs

• 1 1/2 cups grounds almonds/almond flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1 medium mango, peeled and cut into small squares
• olive oil

Process

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Grease the mini loaf pans with some olive oil or grease of choice.
2. Combine all the ingredients, except the mango, and with a hand mixer beat until fully combined and smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add the mango and beat again to incorporate.
3. Pour the mixture into the loaf pans. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before drizzling with icing.

You can also pour into cupcake molds or double the recipe for a cake. For the cake, you’ll have to adjust the baking time.

Coconut-Honey Icing

Ingredients

• 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk
• 1-2 teaspoons raw honey (to taste)
• dessicated coconut flakes

(For the coconut oil: place a can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight. When you open it, the fatty/oil portion will be on the top, whilst the milk will be below. Scoop out the fat/oil that you need and mix the rest in with the milk.)

In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients, except the flakes, together with a whisk until smooth. Place in the fridge for about 10 minutes for the mixture to set. Then drizzle over the mini loafs/cupcakes and sprinkle with coconut flakes as garnish.

Sweet Potato Hash

This recipe is sooo yummy and tastes like fall in a skillet. My favorite way to eat it is with some scrambled egg whites or poached eggs on top !!

Skillet Sweet Potato, Sausage, and Spinach Hash

Recipe From: Multiply Delicious

2 small to medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (or one large)

1 apple, peeled cored and diced

2 tablespoon coconut oil, divided

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, optional

(definitely put in the cinnamon, it totally makes the dish!)

2 Mild Italian chicken sausages, removed from casing

(I used fully-cooked chicken apple sausage, and I opted not to remove them from the casings...I just chopped them in to small cubes!)

2 to 3 large cups of baby spinach

(I used 3 large handfuls, but I think you could definitely double the spinach as it cooks down so much)

1/3 cup sweet yellow onion, diced

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a large nonstick skillet heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil over medium-high heat. Once heated, add diced sweet potatoes and apples. Add a pinch or two of sea salt and cinnamon to the pan. Cook sweet potatoes and apples until cooked and softened. I prefer my sweet potatoes to be slightly browned.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, heat a large skillet with 1 tablespoon coconut oil over medium heat. Add to skillet the chicken (or pork) sausage and onion making sure to break the sausage up in small pieces while it cooks. Once the chicken is no longer pink in color and completely cooked add spinach to the skillet. Don’t worry the spinach will wilt down when cooked. The spinach should wilt down within 1 to 2 minutes. Once spinach is cooked add the sweet potato apple mixture to pan and stir to combine all. Serve warm.

Jesus, Hikes, and Sunrises!!

This morning I had the pleasure of hiking Cowel's Mountain with my sweet friend Malia. It was soo nice having the morning off and she didn't have to be at work till 10 so we made an early date out of it. The last time I did this hike was back in June and couldn't , make it to the top and had to keep stopping to rest. I am very to be able to say that this time I didn't have to stop once and I wasn't even out of breath or in pain when I got to the top. Thank the Lord!!! I know it sounds ridiculous but it is a big accomplishment for me!
The view was sooo clear and we could be all the way to the coast. Watching the sun rise on one side of the mountain while the moon began to set on the other side was magnificent!! I havn't up before the sun in quite some time so it was a nice treat to be able to experience some of God's great creation. As it is Hump Day this hike was a nice way to switch up my workout regiment and do something aliitle different. I also always enjoy the precious moments I get to spend with Mia, she is such a blessing. A woman of God who is overflowing with the Spirit and who has sooo many things in common with myself. She constantly encourages, uplifts and points me to Christ noo matter what! Love her!!

Personal Fitness Update

Since changing the title, theme and direction of this blog, I thought it was a good idea for myself and followers to take a trip down memory lane. Looking at where I started and where I am now. At the end of March I experienced a relationship breakup that played a huge toll on my body, physically, spiritually, and mentally, more then I realized at the time. I learned just how much of an emotional eater I am, as well as how much I didn't understand health and fitness, or the what it means to take care of yourself. A month later at the end of May I turned 21 and was introduced to the world of alcohol, (not at all to the point of drunkedness or even a slight bit tipsy!!!!!) I definitely found myself enjoying a few to many  99 cent tacos, 3 dollar margaritas , and bottomless chips and salsas with family and friends at least once or twice a week. Little did I realize that alcohol has so many calories, and the things I was ordering had tons of sugar diluting the strong taste. BAD, BAD, BAD!!!! 

The mix between stress, lack of exercise, eating whenever and whatever I wanted, poor sleeping habits, and emotional roller coasters I began to pack on the pounds. I came to the point where the only thing fitting was yoga pants and cotton dresses. I was so disappointed and down, I told myself something had to change immediately. So in September of 2012 sitting down for a cup of coffee with Mariah Barnhart (my angel in disguise :)), I was challanged to take control of my health and fitness routine. Not just to go on a diet and exercise for a few months but to really change my entire life, for the rest of my life. With her help and encouragement I have come so far and accomplished more then I ever thought I was capable of. My entire outlook on life and the way I view others has completely changed for the better. I now consider myself a nutrition/ fitness advocate. I aspire to take courses and get certified in nutrition and fitness so that I can help others make the positive changes needed in their lives. 

The first day I weighed in at a sad 188lbs!!!! I weighed in today marking 6 months of living this lifestyle and I was proud to read a healthier weight of 158!!!! I almost fell over, I never thought it was possible, 30 POUNDS!!!! I mean I knew I could do it but I just always thought it would take years not months! I have never felt better in my whole life, stress levels have gone down, I have so much more energy, I sleep better, and most of all my clothes fit big!!! I can confidently say that if I did it so can anyone else, mind over matter. I am not saying waking up every day to go to the gym at 6Am is easy but you have to really want it. I am not saying cutting out breads, and sweets, and your favorite fast food joints is easy but once you do it slowly becomes a habit and those cravings go away. One day at a time, slow and steady wins the race. 

Hope this has been encouraging, and helpful in showing you that you CAN DO IT!!! Please feel free to ask any questions about cleaning eating, vitamins, supplements, and or gym training. I am so passionate about this area of life and its my pleasure to do anything I can to help others. 

If There's a Will There's a Way

When it comes to fitness, clean eating, travel and vacations I know the mindset that most have. I can say that because it used to be my own way of thinking. Whenever I heard the word vacation or traveling somewhere what automatically would go through my mind was , "ohh I can eat whatever I want and I will have no way to exercise". Do you know what I am talking about? 

It is so important to not neglect your body just because you are away from the comforts and routine of home. Just like you have schedule and plan out meals and workouts at home it is the same for when you are on the road. While it takes will power and self control to say no to eating certain foods, it is also so rewarding and your body will thank you when you do. 

Ok lets talk about eating habits on the road first. Now a days no  matter where you travel normal grocery stores are beginning to offer healthy and clean options. This makes it easier for you when you looking to keep eating clean when you are traveling. It used to be you could only get organic non processed forms of food at stores like Trader Joes and Whole Foods but this is not so anymore. The key to your healthy eating on the road is to set a side time to prepare your meals and pack them in the most convenient way for you. I try and eat every three hours so the temptation of grabbing all the junk out there doesn't get a chance to exist. For me I always make sure to have granola bars, trail nut mixes, protein powder, or some fruits (apples, bananas, oranges) with me at all times. This will save you time, money, as well as the temptation to just buy whatever is in sight that may sound good. 

Next order of business is fitness. The key to keeping on track is to plan to exercise on your trip. Evaluate your itinerary and schedule some time to work out, doing both cardio work and resistance training. Of course, you might not be able to mimic your at-home workouts exactly, but you don't need to abandon your program altogether. "Be nonjudgmental of yourself if you aren't able to do everything you regularly do," advises fitness personality Minna Lessig. "Take on a `go with the flow' attitude and get in what exercise you can that both time and equipment permit." Hotels have become so high end now a days, almost every hotels now a days have indoor gyms and pools. No matter what the weather is outside you can take time out of your day to get a good workout. Even better the gyms are usually open 24 hours! When I am planning a trip another great tip is to research the area you will be spending most of your time in. Book reservations at a hotel that allows you to be active, close enough to walk to your various destinations and or public transportation. This will allow you to remain active, walking everywhere you need to go! 

The first thing to pack this trip was my Sprouts shaker bottle and Body By Vi Protein Powder. No matter where you go you can always find water and with a mix that tastes like liquid cake you don't need to add anything else to it.